An extension of the Common Sense Journalism monthly column by Doug Fisher, former broadcaster, newspaper reporter and wire service editor. From new media to old, much of journalism is just plain common sense."In matters of style, swim with the current; in matters of principle, stand like a rock." - Unknown (often improperly attributed to Thomas Jefferson)
"It is difficult to get a man to understand something when his salary depends upon his not understanding it." - Upton Sinclair
"Common sense is not so common" - Voltaire
"Common sense is instinct; enough of it is genius" - George Bernard Shaw

Tuesday, March 04, 2014

Copy editors at BuzzFeed

Well, isn't this interesting:

But as BuzzFeed continues to grow—four new employees checked in at the front desk in the 10 minutes I spent waiting there one morning—they’re not just adding brilliant headline writers and producers who get the gestalt of cat lovers. BuzzFeed has decided it’s no longer good enough to fix errors after publication, at least not on its most popular posts. They’ve decided it makes good journalism and business sense to assure readers that their posts are true, so BuzzFeed is embracing the ultimate symbol of the overstuffed print newsrooms of the pre-digital past. BuzzFeed is hiring copy editors

But
as BuzzFeed continues to grow—four new employees checked in at the
front desk in the 10 minutes I spent waiting there one morning—they’re
not just adding brilliant headline writers and producers who get the
gestalt of cat lovers. BuzzFeed has decided it’s no longer good enough
to fix errors after publication, at least not on its most popular posts.
They’ve decided it makes good journalism and business sense to assure
readers that their posts are true, so BuzzFeed is embracing the ultimate
symbol of the overstuffed print newsrooms of the pre-digital past.
BuzzFeed is hiring copy editors. - See more at:
http://www.cjr.org/cover_story/who_cares_if_its_true.php#sthash.x0Occ98l.dpuf

But
as BuzzFeed continues to grow—four new employees checked in at the
front desk in the 10 minutes I spent waiting there one morning—they’re
not just adding brilliant headline writers and producers who get the
gestalt of cat lovers. BuzzFeed has decided it’s no longer good enough
to fix errors after publication, at least not on its most popular posts.
They’ve decided it makes good journalism and business sense to assure
readers that their posts are true, so BuzzFeed is embracing the ultimate
symbol of the overstuffed print newsrooms of the pre-digital past.
BuzzFeed is hiring copy editors. - See more at:
http://www.cjr.org/cover_story/who_cares_if_its_true.php#sthash.x0Occ98l.dpuf

But
as BuzzFeed continues to grow—four new employees checked in at the
front desk in the 10 minutes I spent waiting there one morning—they’re
not just adding brilliant headline writers and producers who get the
gestalt of cat lovers. BuzzFeed has decided it’s no longer good enough
to fix errors after publication, at least not on its most popular posts.
They’ve decided it makes good journalism and business sense to assure
readers that their posts are true, so BuzzFeed is embracing the ultimate
symbol of the overstuffed print newsrooms of the pre-digital past.
BuzzFeed is hiring copy editors. - See more at:
http://www.cjr.org/cover_story/who_cares_if_its_true.php#sthash.x0Occ98l.dpuf

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About Me

Yes, I do coaching and consulting. That is the only shameless commerce you'll get from me here. Go to the bottom of the blog for more details.
Who am I: A longtime print and broadcast reporter/editor/producer and then AP news editor who now professes journalism at the University of South Carolina. (But please note, nothing on this blog represents official university policy or sentiment. If it did, I'd be very concerned.)My point: That journalism is a great occupation, that most journalism is common sense and that our problems arise when we sometimes don't use it.What's covered: My interests center on editing and writing and on editors and the challenges they face in a changing environment. I'm convinced editors are not being trained enough to face these challenges, but that common sense rules the day. I'm heavily involved in Newsplex, the new-media newsroom at the University of South Carolina. But my interests are wide-ranging, so anything, from ethics to some aspects of Web design, is fair game.
Hope you find something here worthwhile.

Common Sense Journalism &nbspYes, I do seminars and consulting. Among those I have worked with are the SNPA Traveling Campus, S.C. Press Association, N.Y. Press Association, Georgia Press Association, Mississippi Press Association, Virginia Press Association, Landmark Community Newspapers, American Copy Editors Society, Society of Professional Journalists, Lancaster (S.C.) News, The (Rock Hill, S.C.) Herald, The (Sumter, S.C.) Item, the Internal Revenue Service and the Social Security Administration. Contact me for more information.